VitualBox is a cross-platform virtualization application very similar to that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux or Solaris operating systems. VirtualBox provides a generic virtualization environment for x86 systems meaning it may run operating systems of any kind. Also, VirtualBox is usually faster and easier to use than Qemu, especially on Windows and Mac OS X.
We recommend to for a complete understanding of VirtualBox and its features. Creating Virtual Machines First, make sure your have installed VirtualBox version = 4.1, if not you can. Then you can either create a new Virtual Machine using the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager or download. The Linux Microcore 4.7.1 appliance has been imported for the following example.
Now you could create or import other Virtual Machines so you can get more than one VirtualBox guest in GNS3 but here we will create 2 linked clones instead. The concept of linked clone is quite simple, the new cloned VMs will be working with “linked” virtual hard disk and all new changes will be saved in a newly created disk, thus saving your disk space while all changes made in the clone VM will not affect the base VM. To create a linked clone, right-click on your base VM, here Linux Microcore 4.7.1, and select the “Clone” entry. Choose a name, reinitialize the MAC address of all network cards and finally the clone type.
Repeat the process to create one more clone. After completing the last configuration, you should see your 2 clones, named HostA and HostB in this example.
You are ready to link your Virtual Machines in GNS3. Using VirtualBox VMs in GNS3 Check that VirtualBox is functional in GNS3. Go to Preferences - VirtualBox, check the path to vboxwrapper and click on the provided Test Settings button. You should see a message if everything goes well. You only need to do this the first time you setup VirtualBox support in GNS3. Go to the VirtualBox Guest tab to add the VirtualBox VMs in GNS3.
Choose an identifier name, a VM from the VM list (you may have to refresh the list using the provided button) and other options:. Number of NICs is the number of network interface cards you will see inside your VM (e.g. Ifconfig on Linux). Reserve first NIC for VirtualBox NAT to host OS is to you have your first network interface card (e.g.
Eth0 on Linux) configured with network address translation (NAT), allowing your VM to access your host network and Internet (if your host can access it of course). Enable console support to activate a serial console access to your VM. Please note that serial console support must also be configured on the operating system running in your VirtualBox guest for this feature to work. Enable console server (for remote access) is to remotely access to your VM serial console.
GNS3 creates a mini Telnet server that act as a proxy between the serial console and Telnet clients. This feature requires the Enable console support to be enabled. Start in headless mode (without GUI) will hide the VirtualBox graphical interface when the VM is started. This option is mostly useful if you have configured the previously described console support. At this point, you should have added and configured your Virtual Machines in GNS3 Preferences. You can now add your VMs on the workspace, link them, start everything and console to all. Once booted, configure valid IP addresses on both guest OS and ping between them.
Here are the configuration used in this example: HostA tc@Linux:$ sudo su tc@Linux:# ifconfig eth0 10.1.1.1 netmask 255.0.0.0 tc@Linux:# ping 10.2.2.2 HostB tc@Linux:$ sudo su tc@Linux:# ifconfig eth0 10.2.2.2 netmask 255.0.0.0 tc@Linux:# ping 10.1.1.1 Congratulations, you made your fist VirtualBox lab using GNS3! Remote VirtualBox server This is a more advanced topic that shows you how you can use a remote VirtualBox server. To do so, you first have to start vboxwrapper.exe or vboxwrapper.py (requires Python) on your server (VirtualBox must be installed too).
By default vboxwrapper will listen for connections on port 11525, this can be changed using command line options (use vboxwrapper –help to display them all). $ python vboxwrapper.py VirtualBox Wrapper (version 0.8.4-RC4) Copyright (c) 2007-2012 Jeremy Grossmann and Alexey Eromenko 'Technologov' Using VirtualBox 4.2.14 r86644 VBoxWrapper TCP control server started (port 11525). Listening on all network interfaces On your client, go to GNS3 Preferences, select Show VBoxWrapper Advanced Options, then disable the Enable VBox Manager one. Add an external VBoxwrapper which is the server IP address and port, 192.168.1.69:11525 in this example.
Finally, hit the Test Settings button. You should then see a similar message in vboxwrapper on your server if the connection has been successful. Connection from ('192.168.1.69', 54906) Errno 54 Connection reset by peer Finally, as showed earlier in this tutorial, add your VirtualBox guests and start using them as you would normally do. Remember that your VMs will run on a remote server and there will be no VirtualBox GUI on your client. This means you should have a way to access them and the easiest is either to configure console support or have a remote desktop (RDP) connection to your server.
GNS3 (Graphical Network Simulator), best network simulation software allows you to connect and collaborate virtual network topologies to real networks. This awesome feature of GNS3 brings CCNA, CCNP and CCIE labs with zero Hardware! Personally I was much excited when came to know this possibility in GNS3. You might even associate to virtual machines from VMware or VirtualBox to this powerful piece of software.
In this GNS3 guide I’m gonna to share connecting GNS3 to real networks. I already shared one article of GNS3 in that we discussed about running over Windows platform. Linking a virtual topology in GNS3 to real devices is very exciting and interesting and which makes business network setup well. Now let me get in to the technical description of virtual network lab.
Tools required. GNS3 (Graphical Network Simulator): It is the best network simulator software that is offered for Windows, Linux and MAC. There are many network simulation tools are present like Packet tracer (best CCNA simulator, this will be very useful for CCNA practice test for people who learning CCNA routing), BOSON Netsim etc. The specialties of GNS3 is that it is FREE and we may run real Cisco IOS image in GNS3 router hence you may have realistic experience!. Cisco IOS: Real Cisco IOS is required for running GNS3 labs.
Distributing Cisco IOS without license is illegal so you may please Google for IOS. How to interface or connect GNS3 to real networks? There are three topologies that we can realize with real networks together with GNS3. Connecting GNS3 topology to Host computer. With the help of a ‘Microsoft Loop-back adapter’ we can connect GNS3 router to our Host PC 2.
Interfacing VirtualBox virtual PCs with GNS3. GNS3 supports VirtulBox interfacing.
Possible to connect GNS3 router to VirtualBox PCs (I will post on next article) 3. Connecting GNS3 to Internet Wow! Just amazing! You may possible to implement VPN with this feature. Keep in touch with me, I will be coming with those guides soon. As we are starting Real network interfacing I explained the first option in this article ( Connecting GNS3 topology to Host computer). I will be posting other two options as soon as possible.
Interfacing GNS3 network to Host computer The process can be explained with in 3 stages viz creating PC LoopBack network Adapter, Assigning IP Address and Connecting GNS3 virtual network to PC LoopBack Adapter. My platform is Windows 7 Stage 1: Creating PC LoopBack network Adapter For interfacing GNS3 network we should have a dedicated network adapter, don’t worry we can create a Virtual LoopBack adapter in Windows 7, which serves as Physical connection. Step 1: Right click on My Computer → Properties → Device Manager Step 2: Right click on the first icon (computer name) then select Add legacy hardware Step 3: Add Hardware Wizard will appear. This will let you to install driver software for LoopBack adapter.
Just click Next Step 4: Choose manual installation and click Next. Step 5: You will see a list of hardware here, look for Network Adapters, and then click Next Step 6: In Select Microsoft Adapter window select Microsoft Loopback Adapter, → Next. Step 7: Now you are ready to install Microsoft Loopback Adapter, click Next to begin installation. Complete the installation by clicking Finish button.
Stage 2: Configuring Loopback Adapter and Setting up Static IP Step 1: Open Networking and Sharing Center by right clicking in the system tray bar icon. Step 2: Click Change Adapter settings.
Here you may find the newly added Microsoft Loopback Adapter. For easy identification I just renamed it in to LoopBack Step 3: Right click on the Loopback adapter and take Properties, then double click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPV4) Step 4: Enable the radio button ‘ Use the following IP address’ and enter any IP as you like; I used Class A IP 20.0.0.1 with default subnet mask 255.0.0.0 Stage 3: Connecting GNS3 virtual network to PC LoopBack Adapter Now we are gonna to enter to the real meaning of this article, we completed all prerequisites for Interfacing GNS3 with Host computer. Step 1: Run GNS3 and add a Router topology to the working area.
(I hope you know configuring IOS image for GNS3) Go to ‘ Browse all devices’ then drag a Cloud to the work space area. Step 2: Right click on the Cloud and Configure. Step 3: Click C1 node, in the NIO Ethernet tab identify and select the loopback adapter that you created just before. (You may find all the network adapters that is present in your PC, but select only Loopback adapter.) Click Add button to complete. Step 3: Interconnect between your Router and the Cloud with Fast Ethernet cable. Now Run the topology Step 4: Console your router by right clicking on the router icon. Step 5: Configure your router to assign an IP address for FastEthernet 0/0 interface.
Configuration commands are followed. (The IP address must be in the same range of Loopback IP and subnet, for me, assigned 20.0.0.2 with 255.0.0.0 subnet). Connected to Dynamips VM 'R1' (ID 0, type c2600) - Console port Press ENTER to get the prompt. R1#configure terminal Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z. R1(config)#interface fastEthernet 0/0 R1(config-if)#ip address 20.0.0.2 255.0.0.0 R1(config-if)#no shutdown R1(config-if)# That’s all, you have done it! Now try to ping from Router console window to the Host computer and vise versa.
Pinging from router to Host PC Pinging from Host PC to Router Wow, it is pinging in both directions.! Is this GNS3 guide helped you? Can I have your feedback please? Share your thoughts using the comment box below. Bonus Tip: You can change the cloud icon for better representation, for that Right click on the Cloud icon → Change Symbol Choose Computer icon from the list.
Now you will have better diagram representation. In my next article I will be teaching you Interfacing VirtualBox virtual PCs with GNS3. Till then check out some of my Cisco articles. Don’t forget to like our Facebook page to get latest updates. ↓. Nsiko Samuel I have tried this configuration in GNS3 but for some reason the router is not able to ping the cloud and yet I finished connecting the cloud with ip address 192.168.200.2/24 but can ping the network address which is 192.168.200.1/24 on which the cloud is directly connected. Enable configure terminal router rip network 192.168.100.0 network 192.168.200.0 exit exit configure terminal interface FastEthernet0/0 ip address 192.168.100.1 255.255.255.0 no shutdown exit interface FastEthernet0/1 ip address 192.168.200.1 255.255.255.0 no shutdown exit exit enable configure terminal ip dhcp excluded-address 192.168.100.1 192.168.100.10 ip dhcp pool cyber network 192.168.100.0 255.255.255.0 default-router 192.168.100.1 dns-server 192.168.200.2 exit exit.
Gns3 Update
↓. JJohnson This process has stopped working for me inside of Windows 8 as of a week ago. I use to be able to create loopback adapters that connected my physical PC/VmWare virtual machines directly to my GNS3 environment without fail until recently in Windows 8 the same way I did in Windows 7 “WITH ZERO PROBLEMS.” “It makes absolutely no sense” why I can no longer do this after a simple “reset” of my PC back to factory default.